The subject of the invention is topical cosmetic preparations to improve the greasy and unesthetic appearance of hair and skin, particularly for the treatment of greasy hair.
The excessive secretion of the sebaceous glands of the scalp imparts to the hair a greasy appearance, which is generally considered unesthetic. It has, therefore, been tried to normalize the secretion of the sebaceous glands by suitable preparations to give the hair its healthy appearance. For the treatment of seborrhea, oral preparations have been suggested which contain cysteamine derivatives (DOS 16 67 902). Shampoos with sulfur, mercury or tar have been used against seborrhea affecting the hair on the head. It was found, however, that these preparations frequently have side effects in prolonged use, without really satisfactory results as far as effectiveness or application properties are concerned. German Published Application DOS 19 06 665 suggested N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide as an active substance for the treatment of dandruff caused by seborrhea. U.S. Pat. No. 3,755,604 suggests phenylpentadienoic acids to control the production of sebum. But it was found that neither N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide nor phenylpentadienoic acid show, however, fully satisfactory sebosuppressive properties.